werner



Jan. 10, 1956 F. R. WERNER 2,730,039

PRINTER MECHANISM FOR CASH REGISTERS AND ACCOUNTING MACHINES Original Filed Aug. 25, 1948 INVENTOR FRANK R. WERNER HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Q PRINTER MECHANISM FOR CASH REGISTERS AND ACCOUNTING MACHINES Frank R. Werner, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Natiopal Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Original application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 46,165, now Patent No. 2,661,061, dated December 1, 1953. Divided. and this application March 21, 1951, Serial No. 216,826

3 Claims. (Cl. 101-93) This invention relates to printing mechanisms for cash registers and accounting machines, and particularly to means for controlling the operation of the printing hammer and record material feeding means.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 46,165, tiled on August 25, 1948, now Patent No. 2,661,061.

The invention disclosed herein relates to what. is known in the art as on and off means, and which comprises a manually set manipulative device for disabling, or enabling, the operation of the printing hammer and web feeding means, so that a receipt may be printed and issued during a machine operation, or the machine may be operated without printing and issuing a receipt. The invention comprises a manually settable cam which connects or disconnects the printing hammer to or from its driving mechanism and simultaneously moves the tension feed roller either into, or out of, engagement with a feed roller.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel on and E means whereby the. operator may throw the web feed and printing mechanism on or ed at will.

A specific object of the invention. is to provide. a novel coupling means whereby a printing hammer may be. connected to or disconnected from its driving,mechanism,,together with means connected to the. coupling means to control the effectiveness of the web feeding means.

With these and incidental objects. in. view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, a preferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which. accompany and form a part of this specification.

Of. said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing the printer mechanism and its associated mechanisms.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a part of the web feeding means.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the printing hammer and shows the on and off cam and the novel coupling means in on, or printing, position.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the printing hammer operating mechanism, and shows: the: novel; coupling means in off, or non-printing, position, and. also; illustrates a lock for preventing fraudulent operation of the printing hammer while-the machine is at. rest.

General description The machine towhich the present invention is shown applied is shown and described in the United States-patent issued to Breitling, 2,209,763, issued on July 30, 1940. In such machines, differential mechanisms, set under; control of manipulative devices, set up type carriers in. the printing mechanism of the machine from. which data. is printed on various record. receiving material. The present disclosure relates to controlling; the: operation: of the printing. hammer" and-the'web. feeding; mechanism.

2,730,039 Fatented Jan. 10, 1956 The printing hammer is of the class known in the art as squeeze impression hammer, and the hammer is pro vided with an operating means which is operated during each machine operation. The hammer may be coupled to, or uncoupled from, its operating means, and simultaneously the web feeding mechanism can be rendered effective, or ineffective, respectively.

A manually settable cam, having a knob projecting through a suitable opening in the cabinet, controls the printing hammer and web feeding means.

Detail description As described in detail in the above mentioned parent case, the manipulative devices of the keyboard differential position type carriers 90, Fig. 1. Also the machine is provided with a main shaft 37, which is given a complete counter-clockwise rotation for each machine operation.

The machine is provided with a printing mechanism mounted on a side frame 31, which printing mechanism records data on an issuing receipt 470.

The receipt paper'is fed from a supply roll 473 (Fig. 1), rotatably mounted on a stud 474, carried by the left side frame 31. The web of the receipt paper 475 is fed from the supply roll 473 around an ink well 476 and over a guard 477, between feed rollers 510, 511, and 512, hereinafter described, and through a chute 478. A stationary knife 469, mounted on the chute 478, is provided for tearing oii the receipt 470 after the receipt has been issued from the machine.

An endless ribbon 479 is provided for expediting the printing of the data from a group of type wheels mounted on a stud 92', from manually settable date printing wheels, and from type Wheels to identify the machine by a number or symbol, mounted on a stud 497.

Receipt printing mechanism To record the impressions on the receipt paper from the type carriers on the studs 92 and 497,. a hammer 480 is provided. The hammer 480' is provided with a platen 481, for printing from the type carriers on the stud 92, and a platen 482 for printing from the type wheels on the stud 497. The hammer 480 is notched to receive the forward end of an arm 485 (Figs. 3 and 4), and a stud 486, extending through the hammer 480 and the free end of the arm 485, provides a pivot point for the hammer 480; The am 485 is pivoted on a stud 487 carried by the side frame 31 of the machine. The arm 485 has, mounted thereon, a square stud 488, which normally lies in the path of a secondsqiuare stud 495 (see Fig. 3) car- 'ried by' the forward end of a link 496. Thesquare stud 495 is normally engaged by a lever 489 pivoted on the stud 487, the lower end of which lever is provided withan anti-friction roller 490', held in engagement with a cam 491, on the cam shaft 37, by'a spring 492.

Operation of the machine with the square stud 495 overlying the square stud 488' operates the printing hammer 480 in the following manner. Counter-clockwise rotation of the cam 491 rocks, by engagement with the anti-friction roller 490, the lever 489 clockwise against the action of the spring 492. Clockwise rotation of the lever 489" carries the stud 495 against the stud 488,. thus rocking. the arm 485 clockwise to lower the platens 481 and 482' to carry the web 475 and the ribbon 479 against the' type carriers to make an impression on the receipt paper. After the impression has been made, and when the earn 491 passes beyond the roller 490, the spring 492 restores the hammer 480' into its original position.

The hammer 480 isprovided' with a guide slot 493 engaging: the: stud 494'- carried by the left side" frame 31. The slot 493;. cooperating with the stud 494, guides the hammer in a vertical path when the arm 485' is rocked clockwise to make; impressions.

The square stud 4-95 is movably mounted with the link 496 for disabling the printing hammer when desired. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the stud 495 is in its disabled position, and therefore, when the cam 491 rocks the lever 489, the stud 495 does not engage the stud 488; therefore the arm 485 is not operated. When it is desired to operate the hammer 4-80, the square stud 495 is moved to the right (Fig. 4) until it comes over the stud 488 in the manner described hereinafter.

Receipt feed and electro mechanisms After the impression has been made by the hammer 480, the receipt paper web 475 is fed forwardly through the opening in the chute 478, and, while said receipt web is being fed, an electro device prints various data of descriptive, or advertising, nature on the face of the succeeding receipt. The receipt feeding and electro mechanism will now be described.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, secured to the shaft 37 is a partial gear 561, the teeth of which cooperate with the teeth in a gear 592 loose on a stud 503, and said gear 502 meshes with a gear 504, loose on the stud 92. The gear 504 meshes with a gear 505 rotatably supported by the beforementioned stud 497 secured in the side frame 31. The gear 505 meshes with a gear 506 secured to a shaft 507 mounted between the side frame 31 and a printer plate. Also secured to the shaft 507 is a gear 508 meshing with a gear 509 rotatably mounted on the stud 497. The gears 505 and 509 are located adjacent the edges of the receipt paper web 475. Secured to the side of the gear 505 is a feeding disk 510, and secured to the side of the gear 509 is a feeding disk 511. The feeding disks 510 and 511, coacting with pressure rollers 512, one provided to engage each of the feeding disks, cooperate to feed the receipt web 475. Since the feeding disks and the pressure rollers engage the receipt paper web at its edges, the receipt paper will be fed through the machine in a straight line. Each pressure roller 512 is independently mounted on a bell crank 513 pivotally mounted on the stud 494. A link 514 connects each bell crank 513 to a rod 515 (Fig. 1). The ends of the rod 515 are loosely engaged with the links 514 to permit independent action of each link 514 and each bell crank 513, so that the pressure rollers 512 can receive independent movement, and that a firm contact will be made with their respective feed rollers. A spring 516 is connected to the rod 515 midway between its two ends. A rod 517 is carried by two arms 518, which arms are connected by a yoke 519. The yoke 519 supports a printing platen 520, which platen is provided to take impressions from a rotatable electro roll 521. The yoke 519 is held against an adjustable screw 522 by a spring 523 stretched between a stud on one arm 518 and a stud in an arm 524 pivoted on a stud 526, on which the arms 518 are also pivotally mounted. A spring 527, connected to a stud on the arm 524, maintains a stud 525 on said arm 524 in engagement with a cam plate 528 rotatably mounted on a stud 530.

The cam 528, in cooperation with the stud 525, maintains the arm 524 and the adjusting screw 522 in such contact with the yoke 519 as to maintain the electro printing platen 520 in printing position. When in this position, the studs on the arms 518 maintain the links 514 in position to resiliently contact the tension rollers 512 with the feed disks 510 and 511. When the parts just described are in the position shown in Fig. 1, under control of the cam plate 528, the rod 517 is located in slots 531, in such relation to the left-hand ends of said slots as to permit the springs 516 to independently maintain the pressure rollers 512 in contact with their respective feeding disks 510 and 511.

With the pressure rollers 512 resiliently held against the feed rollers 510 and 511, when the machine is operated, the main cam shaft 37, through the gears 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 508, and 509 and the feeding disks 510 and 511, feeds the receipt paper out of the machine. During this operation, the gear 502 rotates the electro 521 to cause the advertising matter to be printed on the receipt paper.

In order to provide time for the printing hammer 480 to take its impression before the receipt is fed out of the machine, the gear 501 has a section of its teeth omitted, and a plate 532 is secured thereto, which, in cooperation with the cut-away portion 533 on the gear 502, maintains the gear 502 against rotation until the plate 532 passes beyond the cut-away portion 533. After the cut-away portion 533 is free from the gear 502, the partial gear 501, acting through the train of gears 502 to 509, rotates the feeding disks 510 and 511. During this operation, gear 502 rotates the electro cylinder to make the impressions on the receipt paper for the next receipt to be issued.

Printer and feed throw-0f) When it is desired to operate the machine without issuing a receipt, the printer platen 480 and the feed mechanism are disabled, by rotating the cam plate 528 prior to the machine operation. To facilitate the adjustment of the cam plate 528, a knob 536 is provided thereon, which knob projects through the cabinet of the machine. The full-line position (Fig. 3) of the knob 536 indicates the position which the cam plate assumes when the printer hammer and the feed mechanism are operated. As shown in this figure, the square stud 4-95 lies over the square stud 488, and therefore, when the machine is operated, the square stud 495, acting on the square stud 488, operates the printing hammer in the manner described above. If it is desired to disable the printing mechanism, the operator moves the knob 536 to the dot-and-dash line position shown in Fig. 3. This rotates the cam plate 528 and causes a cam surface 537 thereon to coact with the stud 525 and move the arm 524 counter-clockwise under action of the spring 527. The rotation of the cam plate 528 is arrested when a node 539 thereon comes into contact with the stud 525. Counter-clockwise movement of the arm 524, through the spring 523, lifts the arms 518 to move the electro platen 520 into ineffective position. Simultaneously, the arms 518, acting on the rod 517, shift the links 514 leftwardly (Fig. 1) to rock the bell cranks 513 counter-clockwise to raise the pressure rollers 512 out of engaging position with the feed rollers 510 and 511. Also simultaneously with the counter-clockwise movement of the rod 517, the link 496 is moved leftwardly to move the square stud 495 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, wherein the square stud 495 no longer overlies the square stud 48S. Subsequent operation. of the machine when the main cam shaft 37 is rotated causes the lever 489 to rock the square stud 495 idly, and therefore the printing hammer 480 will not be operated to make an impression. Also the operation of the feeding disks 510 and 511 is idle, since the tension rollers 512 are not engaged therewith.

Printing hammer late/z with a stud 542, which rests on the cam 491 when the machine is in home position. The latch 54-1 is provided with an upwardly-extending arm which is in engagement with a downwardly-extending toe 543 on the hammer operating arm 485 when the machine is in its home position. When the main cam shaft 37 starts to rotate upon starting the machine in operation, the cam 491 moves from the path of the stud 542, whereupon the spring 541 rocks the latch 540 counter-clockwise to free the hammer arm 485 for operation. The latch 540 is limited in its counterclockwise rotation by a surface 544 thereon coming into contact with the hub of the cam 491. Near the end of the machine operation, the cam 491 again engages the stud 542 and raises the latch 54% in the position in which the upwardly-extending arm of latch 540 engages the toe 543, thus preventing any manipulation of the hammer 485 when the machine is at rest. A spring 545 (Fig. 3), connected to the arm 485, tends to maintain the hammer arm 485 in its raised position.

A weight 546 (Fig. 1), carried by a yoke 547 pivoted on the stud 526, normally bears on the receipt paper web 475 to impinge the web against a guide roller 549, rotatably mounted on the stud 548. The weight 546, acting on the paper, tends to keep the web 475 taut as it is being fed through the machine by the feed rollers 510 and 511.

I liking ribbon mechanism The betorernentioned endless ribbon 479 is fed around a felt feed roller 565 rotatably mounted on a stud 566 carried by a ribbon frame plate (not shown). From the roller 565, the ribbon is fed under a stud 563 and thence around a sleeve 569 rotatably mounted on a stud S70 secured in the left side frame 31, which stud is supported in a bearing (not shown). From the sleeve 569, the ribbon is guided over guide studs 571 and 572, around a guard plate a 1'3, over a sleeve 574, under rods 575 and 576, back to the felt roller.

the I'lDDOl'l is fed step by step during machine operations by a pawl 5250 pivoted on the upper end of a lever 581 supported on a stud 582 carried by the left side frame 31. A link 5583, pivoted to the lever 581, connects said lever to an operating means therefor, not shown herein, but fully dlSClOS 1 in the parent case. When operated, the link 583 rocks the lever 581 first clockwise and then counter-clockwise (Fig. 1). During the clockwise movement of the lever 5151, the pawl 580, engaging a ratchet 584 secured to the felt roller 565, rotates the roller clockwise one step. During the counter-clockwise movement of the lever 581, the pawl 530 ratchets over the ratchet wheel 584. A spring 585, stretched between the pawl 580 and a locking pawl 586, maintains the said pawl in constant engagement with the ratchet wheel 584. The locking pawl 586 prevents backward rotation of the felt roller when the feed pawl 580 is returned to its home position.

The ribbon 479 is constantly replenished with a fresh supply of ink from the beforementioned ink well 476, mounted on the left side frame 31 by means of screws 589 in the manner fully described in the parent case.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form or embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various other forms.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of type carriers; a printing hammer to take impressions from the type carriers onto a web of record material; operating means to actuate the printing hammer; a device to couple the printing hammer with and to uncouple the printing hammer from the operating means; a web feeding means including feed rollers and tension rollers; means settable into two positions; a link connecting the settable means with the device and the tension rollers, said settable means when in one position acting to move said device to couple the printing hammer to the operating means and to move the tension rollers into position to coact with the web and the feed rollers to render the feed rollers effective to feed the web, said settable means when in another position acting to move said device to uncouple the printing hammer from the operating means and to move the tension rollers into position out of coaction with the feed rollers; and a manipulative cam to position the settable means.

2. in a machine of the class described, the combination of type carriers; a printing hammer to take impressions from the type carriers onto a web of record material; a projection on the printing hammer; an actuating means for the hammer; an adjustable device connected to be operated by the actuating means, said adjustable device being positionable into the range of said projection whereby the adjustable device actuates the hammer when the adjustable device is actuated by the actuating means, said adjustable device being positionable out of range of said projection to render the printing device inactive; means to feed the web to line space the impressions thereon; a manipuiative device including a cam member to position the adjustable device into one or the other of said positions; and a link connected directly to the adjustable device and the means to feed the web, to disable the means to feed the web when the printing device is rendered inactive by the adjustable device.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of type carriers; a printing hammer to take impressions from the type carriers onto a web of record material; feeding means for the web of record material to line space the impressions thereon; a projection on said printing hammer; an actuating means for said hammer; a coupling device connected to said actuating means; a manipulative device to move said coupling device into position to engage the projections to couple the printing hammer to the actuating means to render the printing hammer active, or to move said coupling device to a position out of engagement with said projection to uncouple the printing hammer from said actuating means to render said printing hammer inactive; and a link connected to the coupling device and the feeding means, said link operated by the coupling device to render the feeding means inactive when the manipulative device renders the printing hammer inactive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,054,672 Carroll Mar. 4, 1913 1,642,009 Bessler Sept. 13, 1927 1,773,145 Kassner Aug. 19, 1930 1,814,708 Knotz July 14, 1931 1,895,848 Gubelmann Jan. 31, 1933 1,964,552 Arnold June 26, 1934 1,981,256 Von Pein Nov. 20, 1934 2,080,519 Vogelesang May 18, 1937 2,121,967 Kommling June 28, 1938 2,139,719 Brcttling Dec. 13, 1938 2,165,439 Arnold July 11, 1939 2,168,511 Berger Aug. 8, 1939 2,562,049 Lambert July 24, 1951 

